Social Representations of Natural Disasters for Affected Women from an Urban-Marginal Community in Lima, Peru

Abstract

Introduction: Natural disasters generate a negative impact on the health and life of the population; however, there are few qualitative studies addressing their impact on the life, mental health and imaginary of those affected.

Objective: To characterize the social representations of the natural disaster held by mothers affected by “El Niño Costero” phenomenon in an urban-marginal community of Lima, Peru.

Methods: A qualitative and exploratory research, based on the methodology of social representations, was conducted in December 2019, in Lima, Peru. The sampling was intentional nonprobabilistic, due to the access to the place and the availability until reaching the saturation point; in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 mothers and then discourse analysis was performed.

Results: Three categories emerged: living the socioenvironmental vulnerability, being comforted by a divine being, and facing the ecological crisis.

Conclusions: The affected women recognize their socioenvironmental vulnerability due to their precarious socioeconomic condition and the fact that they live on the riverbank. Likewise, they do not find any strategies for overcoming their situation and take refuge in the help and protection from a divine being instead. In the face of the natural disaster, they are aware of the ecological crisis in which they live and the need for an integral and collective response.